1. Field
The present invention relates generally to paving systems. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention concern a paving vehicle that carries a heating hood with multiple burners.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
Paving vehicles have long been used to build and repair roads made of bituminous asphalt material. For instance, repaving vehicles have been used to repave an existing asphalt road by separating and recycling an uppermost layer of material from the road, adding new asphalt material to the recycled material, and reapplying the combined material to form a new uppermost layer of the road. Conventional repaving vehicles use a heating hood with a burner positioned above and in close proximity to the road surface to discharge a heated exhaust stream directly onto the existing road surface.
However, the heating hoods of conventional repaving vehicles has various deficiencies. For instance, conventional heating hoods are known to apply relatively more heat in the center of the hood and relatively less heat along the perimeter of the hood. Similarly, when exposed to substantial side winds, prior art heating hoods are known to apply heat in a nonuniform manner because the wind deflects the heated exhaust stream in the wind direction.
Conventional heating hoods are also deficient because the heated exhaust stream from the burner can overheat and degrade the existing road material. This problem is particularly acute for known heating hoods that discharge an exhaust flame directly on the road surface.